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E. DUNNNG. PIRE ESCAPE.

No. 523,978. Patented Aug. 7, 1894. l Tiff. l Tiyfz .gun WZ( gi T. @L L L 'xiii /Z L L iM/Mq? la I a/ 2 Vb W esse A @3y/@W flwma/ZM, My/M {No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2.

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y FIRE ESCAPE. No. 523,978. Patented Aug.7,1894.

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UNITEio4 STATES PATENT OFFICE.:

ELISHADUNNING, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- FOURTH TO ANGUS MCDONALD, OF SAME PLACE. l

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION fOrming part of Letters :Patent N0. 523,978, dated August 7, 1894.

Application filed March 10, 1894.

To all whom it may concerns ]e it known that I, ELIsHA DUNNING, a citizen'of the United States, residing at Minneapohs, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to wh1ch 1t appertains to make and use the same. My invention has for its object to provide a convenient and reliable form of fire-escape.

To this end, the invention consists of certain novel devices and combinations of de- V1ces,Which will be hereinafter described and defined Ain the claims. Y The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which, like letters referring to like parts Figure l is a front and Fig. 2 a side elevatlon of my tire-escape, shown as applied to a -building with some parts broken away. Fig.

3 is a view, partly in front elevation and partly in section, showing the platform and parts thereon, detached, with 'some parts broken away and others removed. Fig. et is a View, partly in side elevation and partly in section,y of the same parts shown in Fig. 3. Flg. 5 is a detail in plan, showing a part of the relief car in its relation to its supporting and operating cables.

a represents one ofthe vertical walls, a the several floors, d2 the coping, and a3 the windows of a building.

b represent brackets or other forms of rigid projecting parts attached to the upper story of the building, directly under the coping a2, or at any other desired level, on the exterior of the building. To the said brackets b, is rigidly secured a guide-rail b', extending along the several walls of the building or of a particular wallthereof, and constitutes an overhead support and runway for the' fireescape. On the said guide-rail b', is mounted a suitable truck, shown as composed of a yoke c provided with upper and lower flanged Wheels c', embracing the upper and lower Serial No. 503,091. (No model.)

.edges of the guide-rail b', and as provided with a sheave yoke or bracket c2. In the sheave-yoke c2 is journ aled a sheave shaft d,

provided with a pair of cable-sheaves d; and l on the projecting journal of the upper meniber of the truck-wheels c is fixed another cable-sheavef. On the sheaves d are mounted a pair of endless cables d2, which extend to and co-operate with a pair of sheaves d3 on a sheave or drumshaft d4, journaled in bearing blocks d5, made rigid with a platform h, shown as of box-like form and provided with wire netting sides h. On the sheave f, is mounted a third endless cable f', which extends to a sheave f2 on Windlass shaft f 3 journaled in sliding bearings f4, mounted in bearing-blocks f5, fixed to the platform h, which bearings f1 are securable in any desired adjustment in their seats by draw-bolts f 6. The three endless cables, just noted, support the said platform h from the said truck on the guide b at any desired level above the ground, as for example, at or near the top of the first story; and the said platform is provided with horifzontal wheels hzjournaled thereto, which are adapted to bear against and travel along the wall of Athe building, for taking the inward strain on the platform and spacing thesame apart from the wall of the building.

The sheave or drum-shaft d4 is provided at its opposite ends with spur-gears d6 and CF, respectively, of different sizes, which are interchangeabl y engageable with a corresponding pair of spur-gears d8 19, on a crank or windlass shaft d10, which is also journaled'in the bearing-blocks d5. The gear 'd6 on the drum-shaft d4 is relatively large, as compared with the gear d8 on the crank-shaft d10,'the

ratio being about two to one; and the gear (Z7,

on the drum-shaft d4 is relatively smallas i compared with the gear dg on the' crank-shaft d10, the ratio being about one to two.

The crank-shaft d10 is free for sliding movement in its bearings, but may be held in either one of two positions by a stiff springlatch du, engageable with either side of a collar d12 fixed on the shaft d10. This construci tion permits either the set of gears d6 and d8,

or the set of gears d7 and dg, to be thrown into operative relation with respect to each other, according to whether power or speed is desired.

A relief car g is secured to the rear sections of the pair of cables d2, so as tobe movable therewith, and is provided with roller equipped keepers g', which engage and work upon the front sections of said cables d2, as guides. Otherwise stated, the relief car g is so mounted on the said cables d2, that it will be carried with the sections thereof, moving in one direction, and will slide on the sections thereof, moving in the opposite direction. The caris therefore both operated and guided by the cables d2 and may be moved up and down, at will, by manipulating the windlass or crank shaft d10. The endless cables d2 are preferably given a single or double wrap around the windlass sheaves or drums d3, to i prevent any slipping of the same when manipulating the car g.

The cable f ,in combination with the sheave f onthe truck, and the sheave f2 on the platform, not only co-operates with the cables d2, to support the platform h, but serves to propel the entire fire-escape lengthwise of the overhead guide-rail b. The weight of the fireescape is taken by the upper truck-wheel c', on the guide-rail b', thereby affording a considerable traction; which is quite sufficient to propel the truck and fire-escape, as an entirety from the windlass f3 on the platform. The entire lire-escape may therefore be moved lengthwise of the building by an operator on the platform h, to bring the same in line with the proper windows or other openings; and when this point is reached, the relief car g may be raised to the desired level, to receive the person or other load and again be lowered to the platform.

A fire-escape of this kind possesses the great advantage of being always available from any part of a building. The guiderails b would, of course, be constructed on a curve, at the corners of the building, for permitting the re-escape to be shifted from one side of the building to the other.

The adjustment permitted to the windlass f3 by the sliding bearings f4 and draw-bolts 6 enable more or less of the load on the platform to be thrown onto the cable f and the truck driving sheave f, for varying the traction on the truck-wheel c at will. The cable-sheaves d and f on the truck, and the sheaves d3 and f2 on the platform, are so related that the cables d2 and f, will tend to hold the platform h in a level position.

For controlling the drum-shaft d4, under any excessive weight in the relief car g, a brake isprovided for the same in the form of a spring-clamp 7c engaging a friction disk or pulley k on said shaft and subject to the action of a draw-bolt or clamping-screw k2,

working freely through the handle portion of said clamp into a screwthreaded seat on the clamp-block 7c3, xed to the platform h. This construction permits the brake, either to be operated by hand for the desired tension, or to be set down tight by the use of the setscrew or draw-bolt k2, working through the handle portion of the clamp.

Of course, it will be understood, that the brackets b, supporting the guide-rail d', and the wheels h2 on the bottom of the car would be made of varying dimensions for dierent buildings, to aord any required clearance, with respect to the walls which might be necessary for the proper operation of the reescape. Likewise, it will be understood, that many of the detailsmight be changed, with'- out departing from the spirit of myinventio'n.

What l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

l. In a fire-escape, the combination with a truck and a platform, of an overhead guide rail extending along the building and sup porting said truck, cable sheaves on the truck and the platform, endless cables Working over said sheaves and suspending said platform from said truck, and a relief car vertically movable with said cables or certain thereof, substantially as described.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination witha truck and a platform, of an overhead guiderail extending along a building and supporting said truck, cable sheaveson said truck and said platform, endless cables working over said sheaves and suspending said platform from said truck, and a relief car secured to sections of cables moving in one direction and provided with keepers working on sections of the same cables, moving in the opposite direction, as guides, substantially as described.

3. In a lire escape, the combination with a truck and a platform, of an overhead guiderail supporting said truck, cable sheaves on said truck and said platform, one of which cable sheaves is applied to one of the truck wheels, and cables workin g over said sheaves, all of which cooperate in the support of the platform from the truck and one of which serves also to propel the truck on said guiderail, substantially as described.

4:. In a fire-escape, the combination with a truck and a platform, of an overhead guiderail extending along a building and supporting said truck, cable sheaves on said truck and said platform, one of which cable sheaves is applied to one of the truck-Wheels, cables working over said sheaves, all of which cooperate to suspend said platform from said truck, and one of which serves also to propel said truck on said guide-rainwindlasseson said platform for operating said cables, and a relief car supported and operated by certain of said cables, substantially as described.

5. In a lire-escape, the combination with the IOO truck and platform, of the overhead guidepelling cable, for'varying the traction on the ro rail supporting said Vltruck, sheaves on said truck, at will, substantially as described.

truck and said platform, one of which sheaves is applied to one of the truck wheels, cables Working over said sheaves, al1 of which cooperate to support the car/and one of which serves to propel lhe truck, and adjustable bearings for that member of the sheaves on the platform over which runs said truck pro- In testimony whereof I aix my si gnature in presence of two witnesses. j

' ELIsHA- DUNNING.

VWitnesses: A

JOHN A. BENOLKIN, JAS. F. WILLIAMSON. 

